Croatia will host 100 children of wounded and killed Ukrainian soldiers for rehabilitation in the fall.
According to the Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Split (Croatia) Ivica Pirić, Croatia has been organizing recreation for Ukrainian children by the sea since 2015 with the organizational support of the Embassy of Ukraine in Croatia and the Prime Minister of Croatia. Over the 9 years of the program, which is funded by the Ivica Pirić Foundation, 3.5 thousand Ukrainian children and 400 combatants have visited the seaside city of Split in Croatia.
“In 1991-1995, Croatia went through a war in which more than 20 thousand people died and thousands of soldiers became disabled. Much of Croatia’s territory was mined, and cities and towns were heavily damaged. Many IDPs had to go through a difficult period of reintegration. Croatia has extensive experience in treating and rehabilitating military personnel and treating post-traumatic stress disorders in children. The current generation of Croats, including government officials, are children of war, and they are very close to the problems that Ukraine is facing today, so we want to help. The least we can do is to give a holiday by the sea to the children of Ukrainian heroes who are defending Ukraine’s independence,” Pirić said.
In October 2023, Ukraine and Croatia signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of demining, which provides for training of specialists, surveying of territories, their demining and clearing, and exchange of experience in the production of demining equipment. According to the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, Croatian demining machines are operating in Ukraine, and in mid-2023, Ukrainian and Croatian manufacturers agreed to localize the production of such machines in Ukraine.
Pirić is a Croatian footballer who has been working as a FIFA agent since his retirement. Since 2016, he has been the Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Croatia. Pirić helps wounded Ukrainian soldiers and children affected by military operations.
